With all the recent typing regards food, I was lying in bed last night – I find that mode more comfortable than standing – and my head ambled back in time to something else food related.
Way back, working offshore Vietnam, the Rig Manager used to meet us in a local bar in Vũng Tàu, where the chopper dumped us, to treat us to strong drink before we boarded the hydrofoil, on which more strong drink was consumed, to shoot up the Saigon river to Saigon – sorry, Ho Chi Minh City – to get our onward flights. After further indulging in yet more strong drink.
Anyhoo, one trip he told us to drink-up as he was taking us for a meal. After twenty eight days offshore, food wasn’t all that high on the must do list, but he’s the boss so off we went.
Just a short walk and we entered the eatery and it seemed it comprise of several private rooms one of which was booked for us and thus we entered.
That’s when it all got a tad weird as we looked upon a large round table with every other seat being occupied by an attractive young lady so we all ended up sitting between two attractive young ladies. Whoa! Wot’s this all about then?
Wot it was about was it was the hands free room of the eatery. Yup, order food, food arrives and the attractive young lady to the right of each of us proceeded to feed us. Nothing else, nothing naughty what so ever, just feeding us.
Man, it was a totally, like awesomely surreal experience to see a gang of roughy tuffy oil men being gently fed and having their chins dabbed by a bevy of beautiful young babes and one never to be repeated. Man, it was like, totally weird.
The Manager just wanted to give us a taste of Vietnam and some of its stranger goings-on and on later reflection, it could've been a whole lot worse as at that time - still? - it was a thing to sit round a table with a hole in the centre up which, from below, they’d force a live monkeys head, slice the crown off said head and scoop out and gorge themselves on warm monkey brains. I’m typing rubbish? Do a Google. If you have a soft spot for monkeys, don’t...
Giving all that no never mind, South Vietnam was really great fun with great people. Back then, thirty some years ago, many ex-pats were starting to make their home in Vũng Tàu; a great fun loving seaside town.
Quote; Will Rogers.
“An onion can make people cry but there's never been a vegetable that can make people laugh.”
4 comments:
Mac,
Since I came to live in this neighbourhood in 1985 I have had Vietnamese neighbours up and down the street (about 4 households). It is actually one family, an old man and his wife, and their grown up kids. The old guy died some years ago but his children (he told me he had 12 - 10 sons and 2 daughters), some of which went to the USA when the family fled Vietnam.
I must say, as a newcomer at the time, the antics and attitude of all those around me told me more about them than the Vietnamese family. The old man and me had similar interests, and if I did a job or favour for him, I would insist on, and be 'paid' with a huge plate of Vietnamese spring rolls made by his wife, which I was addicted to. I've always preferred Chinese food to Indian but his wife's Vietnamese food paled the Chinese into insignificance. Same kind of stuff really such as egg fried rice, spring rolls etc, but with some differences in ingredients. I haven't traveled the world so don't know a lot.
While the ignorant neighbours (who are all gone now, thank god), looked down on me and my young family (they didn't like 'common strangers' moving into 'their' street if you know what I mean), that Vietnamese family were the salt of the earth, they treated me with respect and politeness, and always had time for a chat in passing. But with all the other neighbours I was forced to fight back at times. Eventually this began to earn me some standing. Although they are Bhuddist (I think), I always get a Christmas card every year. I was shocked to find that his sons were spat at in the street. It was truly a snake pit when I moved here but quite different now.
The old man used to visit Vietnam every year, I think he still had relatives there. One year on getting back he presented me with a motorcycle ornament, made of scrap bits and pieces. That was about 25 years ago and I still have it. I joke with anyone who mentions it that the bike has 13,000 miles on the clock. It wasn't so much the ornament, but the fact that he had thought about me while there. It was a sad day indeed when he passed. He also taught me to play Chinese chess.
This monkey thing - did the monkey have hair that looked like a rough bale of hay? If so I think they glued the crown back on after the meal, and sent the monkey to Downing Street.
Ripper,
Very happy to hear of your Vietnamese contacts and memories.
If you ever have one wild holiday, have at it. Some tips; okay, they worked thirty years ago, but I’m guessing still hold good.
Go with USD, acceptable everywhere. Small bills as you’ll get change in Dong and the exchange rate is something like 24,000 Dong to the Buck. A couple of the guys changed a bunch of Bucks to Dong so they could say that they’d once been millionaires...
If you see a shop, eatery or bar over the road you’d like to check out, don’t even think about crossing the road. Anything you see will be available round the block you’re on.
If you’re in a taxi and it’s involved in an accident - unlikely - however trivial, throw a hand full of bills onto the front seat and bail out and get lost in the crowds. Why? If the police arrive, you’ll be held responsible by the simple expedient that if you hadn’t told the taxi where you wanted to go, it wouldn’t be there thus not involved in an accident. I guess that works.
A lot of times I’d grab a motorbike taxi. Good traffic dodging transport. Helmet? You joke. You’d think there’d be a ‘market’ for motorbike taxies in our cities wouldn’t you? Illegal? Weather to unpredictable?
A nice traffic video for you;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKLWZjBu2iQ
See that? And everything’s moving unlike here and all the time I spent there, I never saw so much as a fender bender.
Mac,
In a way, that's the way we used to operate. I don't mean the lack of automated traffic control, though we did at one time have traffic cops on main intersections. No, I'm referring to the trust element - just as all those commuters in Saigon rely on each other to do the right thing, we here could rely on the next person being blessed with common sense. Not so any more, the population has been prevented from thinking for themselves.
The way things are going I can foresee the need for rickshaws and jeepneys here because no one will be allowed to drive any more. But they will have to prize my little diesel from my cold, dead hands. I don't need diesel either because a diesel engine will run on anything from peanut oil to parrafin. If things get that far, screw the insurance and mot. Yearly tax is £0 anyway.
We have protests and demonstrations, governments being bought down around the world. But no one considers, what if everybody simply ignored their diktats and got on with life? Their power would vanish overnight with zero violence. If they go up a gear, I will go up two. All it takes is to think outside of their world.
The wood burner I'm having is mostly preparation for what is about to come. One thing that's impossible for me to prep for is a food supply, so I guess that I would be turning once again to my Vietnamese friends. They always kept chickens and grew vegetables. Perhaps there would be an opportunity to barter. The old man was a keen gardener, he had a pear tree at the front of his drive, that he had grown bonsai fashion by wiring its branches. He would be seen, every night standing under it, having a smoke, since the rest of his family wouldn't let him smoke in the house or anywhere near. I didn't need an alarm clock, the rooster he kept got me up on the dot every day, just in time to get ready for work.
Speaking of heating/cooking, check out the Rocket Mass Heater. Not practical inside a house (though it could and has been done), but one bundle of sticks will keep a room warm for about 1.5-2 days.
Ripper,
May I sum it all up by humbly directing you to an old post? In fact, mourning common sense becomes more relevant with every passing day. Time to copy that and send it off to various of those that would rule over us you think?
Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense...
https://foggy-mirror.blogspot.com/2020/04/and-then-i-forgot.html
See y'all at the rickshaw rank.
I guess you've realised that all these bus and cycle lanes are getting ready for 'us' thus leaving the zil lanes free for those above.
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